Underground Airlines, by Ben Winters, tells the story of a man named Victor, in an alternate timeline of the US where slavery is still legal in 4 states. This man, former slave, is tasked with hunting down escaped slaves. He is guaranteed freedom by the Marshall Service as long as he does his job efficiently and with obedience.
Winters sets this story in an America that is conflicted and struggling. They argue with each other, and with other countries over the morality of slavery. There is debate over laws that require citizens to return escaped slaves to their owners. Trade with other countries is restricted, “the European Consensus, blocked from most trade with the United States”(p12). Victor drives a Nissan Altima that still has a tape deck.
This reduction in America’s progress and relationships is plausible in a timeline where 4 of the states own slaves. The rest of the country would be held back by these 4 states. Slavery is a major issue for the country to be conflicted over. I believe if it doesn’t result in a civil war, over 150 years, that tension would be detrimental to that country’s progress. However, I believe the results of this division in the country would be more extreme than in Winter’s writing. It would not be likely that the country could make it that long with an unresolved conflict. There would be a change in power, peaceably, if not violently.
